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FEBRUARY 20,  2022

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT:

WHAT ARE THEY TEACHING OUR COLLEGE KIDS? – From Legal Insurrection:   The concept of “freedom” is “intertwined with whiteness,” according to a University of Pennsylvania graduate student writing in The Washington Post on Thursday.  Taylor Dysart, a doctoral candidate at Penn, authored a column in which she attempted to find roots of “colonialism” in the desire of a group of Canadian truckers to avoid being vaccinated. For several weeks, the truckers have clogged Ottawa’s roadways, objecting to a vaccination mandate implemented by Canada’s government.  “The convoy has surprised onlookers in the United States and Canada, both because of the explicitly racist and violent perspectives of some of the organizers and because the action seems to violate norms of Canadian ‘politeness,’” Dysart writes. “But the convoy represents the extension of a strain of Canadian history that has long masked itself behind ‘peacefulness’ or ‘unity’: settler colonialism.”  “The history of Canadian settler colonialism and public health demonstrates how both overt white-supremacist claims and seemingly more inert nationalistic claims about ‘unity’ and “freedom” both enable and erase ongoing harm to marginalized communities,” she writes.  I guess we're all colonialists here.  Pinch me.  I never realized it.

February 20, 2022       Permalink

IN THE MATTER OF BLACK LIVES MATTER – OVERNIGHT:  The group's new troubles could easily slip into an honest assessment of whether BLM is just a shakedown.  From MSN: 

The California Department of Justice recently issued a notice to Black Lives Matter that it was not only in violation of state law over the failure to disclose financial records but that its leadership could be personally liable for the resulting fines for failing to account for $60 million in donations.

Indiana also is investigating the organization, and Amazon has suspended BLM donations due to concerns over the handling and reporting of donations by the group's leadership.

The problem is determining who that leadership is in an organization racked by internal conflicts, resignations and scandals.

The move, however, highlights a glaring contrast to how state officials have treated BLM as opposed to the far more aggressive efforts targeting organizations like the National Rifle Association. New York is currently seeking to dissolve the NRA for some of the same allegations leveled against BLM, including the use of funds by BLM officials for personal benefits.

The perils of growing too fast 

Businesses are often warned of the perils of growing too fast. That may seem counterinituitive, but success can bring serious problems if growth outstrips capabilities or production. BLM is a case study of that danger. After the murder of George Floyd, corporations frantically moved to establish their standing as anti-racist organizations. BLM became the vehicle for such corporate bona fides.

Millions of dollars poured into BLM coffers as endorsements of the organization adorned everything from NFL helmets to corporate websites. BLM leaders were given lucrative corporate deals, including BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors, who inked a contract with Times Warner to help guide and develop programming across its platforms.

COMMENT:  Read the whole thing.  BLM is in big trouble.  But it also has powerful friends to call upon – even friends in the WOKE corporations.  Don't count out the group's recklessness, and its avoidance of any accounting. 

February 20,  2022     Permalink

FEBRUARY 19,  2022

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT:

THE PEOPLE'S REVOLT IS SPREADING:  The truckers' protest in Canada has now been largely broken up, but the memory lingers.  And Americans give their vote of approval.  From Breitbart:   Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has invoked rarely used emergency powers to try to stop truckers who have gathered in the country’s capital of Ottawa to protest government vaccine mandates required for conducting cross border business.  In the United States a poll found that the majority of likely American voters support the truckers — and think a similar protest south of the border is a good idea.  Rasmussen Reports found that 59 percent of respondents support the convoy, including 42 percent who “strongly support” it.  Thirty-three percent of voters oppose the trucker protest against Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions, including 21 percent who “Strongly Oppose” the protest.  I fully expect to see a Canadian-style protest here. It's so very American, and the fact that the truckers have been put down by Prime Minister Justin (tuffy) Trudeau makes them even greater martyrs.

February 19, 2022       Permalink

UKRAINE LATEST – OVERNIGHT:  Nothing much has changed.  The world waits for a Russian invasion of Ukraine, which President Biden appears to believe is imminent.  Many reports say that Russian troops are moving into an attack mode.  And yet, this crisis reminds me of screenwriter William Goldman's observation about Hollywood:  "Nobody knows anything."  We still don't know what is in Russian President Putin's mind.  What we're getting is a truckload of informed speculation.  From the Jerusalem Post: 

Multiple explosions were heard on Sunday in the center of the separatist-held city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, a Reuters witness said.

A loudspeaker in the area asked citizens to exercise caution. The origin of the explosions was not clear. 

According to an official statement by the Donetsk People's Republic Militia, Ukraine has opened fire 82 times on the territory of rebel-controlled areas with the use of mortars and artillery cannons.

This comes just days after artillery shelling was heard near Donetsk airport and Elenovka, a village in the Donetsk province.

Fueling Russia-West tensions over Ukraine, the rebels and Ukrainian government forces accused each other of violating ceasefire agreements on Thursday and using heavy weaponry including mortars and artillery.

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet him for talks to deescalate tensions as rumors of an impending invasion continue to grow, the Associated Press reported.

COMMENT:   American Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with his Russian counterpart on Wednesday. 

One effect of the Ukrainian crisis has been to divert attention from the rapidly concluding Iran nuclear talks, being held in Vienna.  The White House is expressing guarded optimism that an agreement with Iran is close, but is also saying that the talks must end within a matter of days, that Iran must make some decisions.  Again, nobody knows anything.  However, cautionary voices are now being heard from Congress, saying that the proposed agreement is awful, even worse than the original 2015 Iran nuclear deal.  Three members of the American negotiating team have already resigned, apparently in protest over Washington's concessions.

Nothing would shock me about the outcome of the Iran talks.  The U.S. negotiators are led by super-appeaser Robert Malley, who performed the same function for Barack Obama.  The result was that awful 2015 deal, which President Obama couldn't submit to the Senate as a treaty because it had so little support.  He made it an executive agreement.  We may see the same movie again, if anyone knows anything.

February 19,  2022     Permalink